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United States Patent |
5,022,641
|
Okada
|
June 11, 1991
|
Recirculating feeder of sheets
Abstract
In a recirculating feeder of sheets, the sheets are supplied and restored
by the top-pick bottom-return method from a storing device in which the
sheets are stacked and stored. The sheets are restored in the lowermost
position in the stacking direction of the stacked sheets and stored in the
storing device through a driving member, a first restoring device and a
second restoring device. The driving member is controlled so as to
approach/depart from the first restoring device, and when the sheet is
conveyed into the storing device, it approaches to intervene between the
lowermost position in the stacking direction of the sheets and the first
restoring device, thereby pinching the sheet together with the first
restoring device. In this way, the conveying force of the first restoring
device is securely transmitted to the sheet, and repelling and mixing are
avoided. The driving member contains defining members, which are intended
to match the sheet stacking. When the sheet is conveyed to the second
restoring device, the driving member is departed. The second restoring
device is controlled so as to intermittently contact with or depart from
the sheet after the first restoring device, and conveys the sheet up to
the final storing position. Thus, without lack of the conveying force, the
sheet is securely restored, and soiling of the sheet is lessened by the
intermittent contact.
Inventors:
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Okada; Naofumi (Tenri, JP)
|
Assignee:
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Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Osaka, JP)
|
Appl. No.:
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469206 |
Filed:
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January 24, 1990 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
Current U.S. Class: |
271/3.08; 271/163; 271/212; 271/213 |
Intern'l Class: |
B65H 005/22 |
Field of Search: |
271/3.1,4,5,11,97,98,207,222,220,163,212,213
|
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
4304782 | May., 1983 | Acquaviva | 271/3.
|
4413901 | Nov., 1983 | Kollar | 271/3.
|
4560158 | Dec., 1985 | Wilson | 271/3.
|
4786039 | Nov., 1988 | Ito | 271/3.
|
Foreign Patent Documents |
48104 | Apr., 1981 | JP | 271/212.
|
Other References
Alberte, Andrews, Document Restack Pneumatic Control Mar./Apr. 1982, p. 73,
Xerox Technical Disclosure, vol. 7, No. 2.
L. A. Walker, Cam-Lifting Device, Apr. 1981, p. 4832, IBM Technical
Disclosure Bulletin, vol. 23, No. 11.
|
Primary Examiner: Skaggs; H. Grant
Assistant Examiner: Druzbick; C.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A recirculating feeder of sheets having storing means for storing a
stack of sheets, for supplying the sheets from an upper side in a stacking
direction and for restoring the sheets supplied from a downstream side in
the stacking direction, the recirculating feeder comprising:
restoring means being disposed near a lower end in the stacking direction
of the storing means near an upstream side in a restoring direction of the
storing means for conveying the sheets into the storing means upon
returning of the sheets; and
a driving member being disposed at the upstream side in the restoring
direction relative to the restoring means, the driving member being set
closer to the stacking direction of the restoring means when the sheet is
close to the restoring means when restoring the sheets, otherwise the
driving member is set further from the restoring means, the driving member
comprises;
a rotatable lever piece,
a drive unit for rotating and driving the lever piece, and
a plate part slidable in response to rotation of the lever piece, the plate
part being inserted between the sheet and the restoring means when
approaching the restoring means.
2. A recirculating feeder of sheets having storing means for storing a
stack of sheets, for supplying the sheets from an upper side in a stacking
direction and for restoring the sheets supplied from a downstream side in
the stacking direction, the recirculating feeder comprising:
first restoring means being disposed near a lower end in the stacking
direction of the storing means near an upstream side in a restoring
direction of the storing means for conveying the sheets into the storing
means upon returning of the sheets;
a driving member being disposed at the upstream side in the restoring
direction relative to the first restoring means, the driving member being
set closer to the stacking direction of the first restoring means when the
sheet is close to the first restoring means when restoring the sheets,
otherwise the driving member is set further from the restoring means; and
second restoring means being disposed at the downstream side in the
restoring direction relative to the first restoring means, for
intermittently contacting and disengaging the sheets when restoring the
sheets, and for conveying the sheets to the downstream side in the
restoring direction during contact therewith, the second restoring means
comprising:
a receiving member having a generally horizontal support surface for
receiving sheets, and a hole defined therein extending along a conveying
direction,
a pair of rotating pieces being disposed rotatably around a generally
horizontal rotary axial line beneath the receiving member, and arranged
with a spacing along the conveying direction, in which the outer
circumference of each of the rotating pieces has a first portion longer in
distance from the rotary axial line and a second portion shorter in
distance from the rotary axial in than in the first portion, and the outer
circumference shape of each rotating piece is generally the same,
a belt applied on the pair of the rotating pieces and which is projectable
upwardly from the hole for projection, and
driving means for rotating and driving the pair of rotating pieces in
synchronism, thereby moving the outer circumference of the belt higher
than the support surface when the first portion of each rotating piece is
simultaneously positioned higher than the rotary axial line, and moving
the outer circumference of the belt lower than the support surface when
the second portion of each rotating piece is simultaneously positioned
higher than the rotary axial line.
3. The recirculating feeder of sheets as claimed in claim 2, wherein the
driving member has a defining member which projects to the upper side in
the stacking direction of sheets, and presses the upstream side end
portion in the restoring direction of sheets stacked in the storing means
when approaching the first restoring means.
4. The recirculating feeder of sheets as claimed in claim 2, wherein the
first restoring means comprises a roller.
5. The recirculating feeder of sheets as claimed in claim 2, wherein the
driving member comprises:
a rotatable lever piece,
a drive unit for rotating and driving the lever piece, and
a plate part slidable in response to rotation of the lever piece, the plate
part being inserted between the sheet and the first restoring means when
approaching the first restoring means.
6. The recirculating feeder of sheets as claimed in claim 2, further
comprising detecting means for detecting the sheets conveyed into the
first restoring means, and wherein the driving member responds to output
from the detecting means, the driving member moves closer to the first
restoring means while the detecting means is detecting the sheet, and the
driving member moves away from the first restoring means while the
detecting means fails to detect the sheet.
7. The recirculating feeder of sheets as claimed in claim 2, wherein the
first portion of the rotating pieces is an arc possessing a generally
uniform radius along a predetermined circumferential length about the
rotary axial line in the shape of the outer circumference of the section
generally at a right angle to the axis of the rotating piece.
8. The recirculating feeder of sheets as claimed in claim 7, wherein the
circumferential length forming the arc of the rotating piece is selected
as an integer fraction of a distance necessary for conveying the sheets in
the storing means.
9. A recirculating feeder of sheets having storing means for storing a
stack of sheets, for supplying the sheets from an upper side in a stacking
direction and for restoring the sheets supplied from a downstream side in
the stacking direction, the recirculating feeder comprising:
first restoring means being disposed near a lower end in the stacking
direction of the storing means near an upstream side in a restoring
direction of the storing means for conveying the sheets into the storing
means upon returning of the sheets;
a driving member being disposed at the upstream side in the restoring
direction relative to the first restoring means, the driving member being
set closer to the stacking direction of the first restoring means when the
sheet is close to the first restoring means when restoring the sheets,
otherwise the driving means is set further from the restoring means, the
driving member having a rotatable lever piece, a drive unit for rotating
and driving the lever piece, and a plate part slidable in response to
rotation of the lever piece, the plate part being inserted between the
sheet and the first restoring means when approaching the first restoring
means; and
second restoring means being disposed at the downstream side in the
restoring direction relative to the first restoring means, so as to convey
the sheets to the downstream side in the restoring direction when
restoring the sheets.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recirculating feeder of sheets, in which
sheets are supplied from a storing means in which sheets are stacked and
stored, and the sheets after being supplied are put back to the storing
means again, and more particularly to a recirculating feeder of sheets in
a so-called top-pick bottom-return structure in which sheets are supplied
from above the stacking direction in the storing means and returned from
beneath the stacking direction, which may be favorably applied in a
recirculating automatic document feeder (RADF) for conveying the sheet
originals sequentially into the exposure region one by one in, for
example, an electrostatic copying apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In an electrostatic copying apparatus, for example, when copying documents
in a plurality of sheets, the RADF tends to be installed in order to save
the operator's labor of putting the sheets one by one on the original
platen. Such RADF conveys the plural sheet originals sequentially to the
exposure region having a exposure means in synchronism with the copying
action of the electrostatic copying apparatus main body, and realizes the
function of, for example, copying duplex originals having images formed on
both sides of the sheet on both sides of copying papers, in collaboration
with the copying apparatus main body.
Such RADF is provided with a storing means for stacking and storing sheet
originals to be copied. Around this storing means there are, among others,
a paper feed means for feeding the originals stored in the storing means
and starting conveying to the exposure region, and a returning means for
returning the originals after exposure in the exposure region back to the
storing means. The storing means, and the paper feed means and the
returning means around the storing means are collectively called a
recirculating original feeding means.
FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a simplified structure of a typical
conventional recirculating original feeding means 1. As stated above, the
recirculating original feeding means 1 comprises a storing means 2 for
stacking and storing the documents d to be copied, a paper feed means 3
disposed above and at the right side of the storing means 2 in FIG. 1, and
a returning means 4 disposed beneath and at the right side of the storing
means 2, being composed in a so-called top-pick bottom-return structure.
Hitherto, various structures have been proposed for the paper feed means 3,
and the paper feed means 3 in FIG. 3 shows one of these examples. Toward
the entire surface of the downstream end in the paper feed direction of
the documents d stacked in the storing means 2, air is blown from an
exhaust duct 5, and the downstream end in the paper feed direction of the
documents d is separated by the air layer. Of the separated documents d,
the document d0 at the uppermost position in the stacking direction is
sucked and conveyed by a suction conveying means 6 installed above the
document d0. The suction conveying means 6 is composed of an endless belt
6c, which possesses innumerable openings and is mounted on two rollers 6a,
6b, and an intake duct 6d disposed at the inner side of the belt 6c. By an
intake means which is not shown, when the upper side air of the storing
means 2 is sucked in from the openings in the intake duct 6b and the
openings of the endless belt 6c, the document d0 at the uppermost position
in the stacking direction is attracted to the outer circumference of the
endless belt 6c, and is conveyed into a conveying roller 7, and conveyance
is started toward the conveying route which is not shown. By the exhaust
from the exhaust duct 5, only the separated uppermost document d0 is
sucked and conveyed, so that the documents may be supplied into the
conveying route securely one by one.
Incidentally, the returning means 4 comprises, for example, rollers 8a, 8b,
and an endless belt 9 mounted on the rollers 8a, 8b. This endless belt 9
also serves as the bottom of the storing means 2, and supports the stacked
documents d. In the exposure region which is not shown, after the copied
document di passes through a conveying route 10, the rollers 8a, 8b are
driven to rotate the endless belt 9 in the direction of arrow 13, and the
document di is inserted into the lowermost position in the stacking
direction of the documents d stacked and stored in the storing means 2.
The inserted document di is pressed to the belt 9 by the weight of the
documents d being stacked, and is conveyed by the frictional force. The
returning means 4 is designed so that the downstream end in the returning
direction of the returning document di may be conveyed until reaching a
side aligning piece 11 composing the side portion of the storing means 2.
In such construction of the recirculating original feeding means 1,
however, the following problems occur. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the
state of the documents d as a problem of the prior art. That is, in the
composition of the recirculating original feeding means 1, the documents d
are stored in the storing means 2 in such a manner that the vicinity of
the upstream side end portion of the returning direction of the documents
d may be located in overlap with the returning start point of the
returning means 4. In particular, when the exhaust duct 5 is used in the
paper feed means 3, air is blown to the lower side by the draft from the
exhaust duct 5, in the vicinity of the upstream end in the returning
direction of the documents at the lower side of the stacking direction of
the stacked documents d. In other words, the vicinity of the upstream end
in the returning direction of the documents d stored in the storing means
2 tends to droop into the direction of the conveying route 10 as shown in
FIG. 1.
When the document di is returned from the conveying route 10 into the
storing means 2 in such state, the vicinity of the upstream end in the
returning direction of the documents d in the storing means 2 and the
downstream end in the conveying direction of the conveyed document di may
collide with each other, and the documents may repel each other, so-called
repelling, as shown in FIG. 2 (1), or the returning document may be
inserted into an intermediate position, instead of the lowermost position
in the stacking direction of the documents d stacked and stored in the
storing means 2, so-called mixing, as shown in FIG. 2 (2), thereby causing
disorder of documents. When such problems should occur, the conveyed
document di is parted from the returning means 4, and is not securely put
back into the storing means 2, which may lead to so-called paper jamming.
Besides, when only few documents, for example, two or three are stored in
the storing means, as the total weight of the documents to press down the
document di conveyed to the belt 9 of the returning means 4 is light, the
conveying force (frictional force) of the belt 9 is not transmitted to the
document di, so that the document di may not be returned securely until
the downstream end in the returning direction of the document di reaches
the side end portion 11a of the side aligning piece 11.
Incidentally, in the case of the belt 9 made of rubber or the like, since
the frictional force is utilized when returning the document di, static
electricity is likely to be generated, and dust particles are likely to
stick on the surrounding surfaces. Therefore, such dust deposit may be
rubbed against the belt side surface of the document di in the returning
step as the belt surface abuts against, so that the document may be
stained.
Furthermore, as stated above, when the state of failure of conveyance of
the document di up to the side aligning piece continues due to
insufficient conveying force, the matching is inferior at the upstream end
in the returning direction of the stacked documents d, and the ends are
not aligned. In FIG. 1, the upstream end in the returning direction and
the downstream end in the paper feed direction are identical, and the air
from the exhaust duct 5 is blown against the downstream end in the paper
feed direction. Therefore, when the upstream end in the returning
direction is misaligned, the air from the exhaust duct 5 is not uniformly
blown to the downstream end in the paper feed direction, so that the
documents d may not be uniformly separated by the air layer. As a result,
as shown in FIG. 2 (3), the document d0 in the uppermost position in the
stacking direction is pushed against the documents d side, and the
document d0 may not be conveyed by the suction conveying means or supplied
obliquely (that is, the paper feed direction and the downstream end in the
paper feed direction of documents are not at a right angle).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is hence a primary object of the invention to present a recirculating
feeder of sheets capable of restoring the sheets securely without soiling
and feeding securely, and further enhancing the grade.
In order to achieve the above object, the invention presents a
recirculating feeder of sheets which possesses storing means in which
sheets are stacked and stored, for supplying the sheets from the upper
side in the stacking direction and restoring the sheets supplied from the
downstream side in the stacking direction, comprising:
restoring means being disposed near the lower end in the stacking direction
of the storing means in the vicinity of the upstream side end in the
restoring direction of the storing means from conveying the sheets into
the storing means when returning, and
a driving member being disposed at the upstream side in the restoring
direction, relating to the restoring means, being set closer above the
stacking direction of the restoring means in the period when the sheet is
close to the restoring means when restoring the sheets, and remoter in the
other period.
Also the invention presents a recirculating feeder of sheets which
possesses storing means in which sheets are stacked up and stored, for
supplying the sheets from the upper side in the stacking direction and
restoring the sheets supplied from the downstream side in the stacking
direction, comprising:
first restoring means being disposed near the lower end in the stacking
direction of the storing means in the vicinity of the upstream side end in
the restoring direction of the storing means for conveying the sheets into
the storing means when returning,
a driving member being disposed at the upstream side in the restoring
direction, relating to the first restoring means, being set closer above
the stacking direction of the first restoring means in the period when the
sheet is close to the first restoring means when restoring the sheets, and
remoter in the other period, and
second restoring means being disposed at the downstream side in the
restoring direction, relating to the first restoring means, for
intermittently contacting/ departing to and from the sheets when restoring
the sheets, and conveying the sheets to the downstream side in the
restoring direction when contacting.
In a preferred embodiment, the driving member possesses a defining member
which projects to the upper side in the stacking direction of sheets, and
presses the upstream side end portion in the restoring direction of sheets
stacked in the storing means when approaching to the first restoring
means.
In a further preferred embodiment, the first restoring means is composed of
a roller.
In a different preferred embodiment, the driving member comprises:
a rotatable lever piece,
a drive unit for rotating and driving the lever piece, and
a plate part which slides depending on the rotation of the lever piece and
is inserted between the sheet and the first restoring means when
approaching to the first restoring means.
In another preferred embodiment, a detecting means for detecting the sheets
conveyed into the first restoring means is provided, and
the driving member responds to the output from the detecting means, and
moves closer to the first restoring means while the detecting means is
detecting the sheet, and moves away from the first restoring means while
the detecting means is not detecting the sheet.
In other preferred embodiment, the second restoring means comprises:
a receiving member having a horizontal support surface for receiving
sheets, and a hole for projection extending along the conveying direction,
a pair of rotating pieces being disposed rotatably around a horizontal
rotary axial line beneath the receiving member, arranged with a spacing
along the conveying direction, in which the outer circumference of each
rotating piece possesses a first portion longer in the distance from the
rotary axial line and a second portion shorter in the distance from the
rotary axial line that in the first portion, and the shape of the outer
circumference of each rotating piece is the same,
a belt applied on the pair of the rotating pieces and which is able to
project upward from the hole for projection, and
driving means for rotating and driving the pair of rotating pieces in
synchronism, thereby moving the outer circumference of the belt higher
than the support surface when the first portion of each rotating piece is
positioned at the same time higher than the rotary axial line, and moving
the outer circumference of the belt lower than the support surface when
the second portion of each rotating piece is positioned at the same time
higher than the rotary axial line.
In a further different preferred embodiment, the first portion is an arc
possessing a uniform radius along the predetermined circumferential range
about the rotary axial line in the shape of the outer circumference of the
section at right angle to the axis of the rotating piece.
In a still different preferred embodiment, the circumferential length
forming the arc of the rotating piece is selected as an integer fraction
of the distance necessary for conveying the sheets in the storing means.
The invention moreover presents a recirculating feeder of sheets which
possesses storing means in which sheets are stacked and stored, for
supplying the sheets from the upper side in the stacking direction and
restoring the sheets supplied from the downstream side in the stacking
direction, comprising:
first restoring means being disposed near the lower end in the stacking
direction of the storing means in the vicinity of the upstream side end in
the restoring direction of the storing means for conveying the sheets into
the storing means when returning,
a driving member being disposed at the upstream side in the restoring
direction, relating to the first restoring means, being set closer above
the stacking direction of the first restoring means in the period when the
sheet is close to the first restoring means when restoring the sheets, and
remoter in the other period, in which a defining member is formed so as to
project to the upper side in the stacking direction and press the upstream
side end portion in the restoring direction of the sheets stacked in the
storing means when approaching, and
second restoring means being disposed at the downstream side in the
restoring direction, relating to the first restoring means, so as to
convey the sheets to the downstream side in the restoring direction when
restoring the sheets.
According to the recirculating feeder of sheets of the invention, it
possesses the storing means in which sheets are stacked and stored, the
sheet is supplied from the upper side in the stacking direction, and the
supplied sheet is restored from the lower side in the stacking direction.
In the vicinity of the upstream side end portion in the restoring
direction of the storing means, near the lower end portion in the stacking
direction of the storing means, the first restoring means is installed,
and at the upstream side in the restoring direction relating to the first
restoring means, the driving member is disposed, and at the downstream
side in the restoring direction relating to the first restoring means, the
second restoring means is installed.
The sheet is conveyed into the storing means by the first restoring means.
When the sheet is restored into the storing means by the first restoring
means, while the sheet is approaching the first restoring means as being
detected by the detecting means, the driving member is at the lower side
in the stacking direction of the stacked sheets, and approaches upward in
the stacking direction of the first restoring means. Therefore, the
conveyed sheet is securely inserted into the lowermost position of the
stacked sheets. Moreover, the sheet is pinched by the driving member and
the first restoring means, thereby causing the conveying force of the
first restoring means to be transmitted, and the sheet is restored into
the storing means. On the other hand, in the remaining period while the
sheet is not approaching the first restoring means, the driving member is
departed and is waiting.
The sheet conveyed into the storing means by the first restoring means is
further conveyed within the storing means by the second restoring means.
The second restoring means is composed by including, among others, the
belt applied on a pair of deformed rotating pieces, and intermittently
contacts with or departs from the sheet being restored. When contacting,
the conveying force is securely transmitted to the sheet, thereby causing
the sheet to be further conveyed to the downstream side in the restoring
direction. Therefore, the sheet will not stop in the midst of returning
due to insufficient conveying force within the storing means. Besides,
since the second restoring means intermittently contacts the sheet, the
risk of rubbing the dust deposit on the second restoring means against the
sheet is reduced, and soiling of the sheets may be outstandingly
decreased.
Still more, according to the recirculating feeder of sheets of the
invention, the defining member projecting upward in the stacking direction
is formed on the driving member. By this defining means, when the driving
member approaches, the upstream side end portion in the restoring
direction of the sheet stacked in the storing means is pressed and
defined, and therefore it is possible to feed securely from the upper side
in the stacking direction of the sheets, thereby avoiding oblique
deviation of the supplied sheet or failure of supply. Incidentally, in
order to obtain the effect produced by the defining means, it is not
required to design the second restoring means to intermittently contact or
depart with or from the sheets.
According to the invention, by installing the driving member, the restoring
side end portion of the already stored sheet may be entirely separated
from the restoring means. Therefore, the downstream side end portion in
the restoring direction of the sheet being conveyed so as to be restored
and the upstream side end portion in the restoring direction of the
already stored sheet do not collide against each other, so that undesired
states such as repelling and mixing may not take place.
Furthermore, since the driving means pinches the sheet to be restored
together with the first restoring means, the conveying force of the first
restoring means is securely transmitted to the sheet. Hence, stopping of
conveying due to insufficient conveying force does not occur.
Moreover, by installing the second restoring means, the restored sheet can
be conveyed securely to the predetermined position without stopping on the
way. Besides, since the second restoring means transmits the conveying
force to the sheet to be conveyed intermittently, rubbing of dusts
deposits against the sheet is reduced, and soiling of the sheet is
decreased.
In addition the invention, by forming the defining member on the driving
member, the upstream side end portions in the restoring direction of the
sheets already stacked and stored when driving the driving member are
defined and aligned. Therefore, the paper may be fed precisely.
Consequently, the grade of the recirculating feeder of sheets is further
enhanced.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become
apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it
should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples,
while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way
of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the
spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in
the art from this detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other objects of the invention, as well as the features and
advantages thereof, will be better understood and appreciated from the
following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings
which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative
of the present invention, and in which:
FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a simplified structure of a typical
conventional recirculating original feeding means 1;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing problems for documents d one of the
conventional feeding means;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a simplified structure of the
recirculating original feeding means 20 in one of the embodiments of the
present invention;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a simplified structure of the
recirculating document feeding means 20;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the operation of paper feed of document
D in the recirculating original feeding means 20;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view seen from sectional line IV--IV in FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a sectional view for explaining the restoring operation of the
documents D in the recirculating original feeding means 20;
FIG. 8 is a sectional view seen from sectional line V--V in FIG. 5;
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a schematic structure near solenoid
SOL2 of the second restoring means 25;
FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a simplified structure of a
recirculating original feeding means 70 in a second embodiment;
FIG. 11 is a sectional view showing the restoring operation of documents D
in the recirculating original feeding means 70;
FIG. 12 is a sectional view seen from sectional line X--X in FIG. 11;
FIG. 13 is a sectional view showing a simplified structure of RADF 80
possessing the recirculating original feeding means 70;
FIG. 14 is a sectional view showing a simplified structure of an
electrostatic copying apparatus 81 having RADF 80; and
FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing an electrical composition of the
electrostatic copying apparatus 81.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings, some of the preferred embodiments are
described in detail below.
A recirculating feeder of sheets of the invention is installed, for
example, in an electrostatic copying apparatus. For instance, in the RADF
for automatically conveying the sheet originals one by one into the
exposure region to be exposed, the recirculating original feeding means 20
feeds the document to be copied and restores them after the exposure
process.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a simplified structure of the
recirculating original feeding means 20 in one of the embodiments of the
invention, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a simplified structure
of the recirculating original feeding means 20. The recirculating original
feeding means 20 comprises a storing means 21 in which the documents to be
copied are stacked and stored, a paper feeding means 22 disposed at the
vertical upper side of the storing means 21 for feeding the documents in
the storing means 21, a first restoring means 23 for restoring the
document supplied by the paper feeding means 22 into the storing means 21,
a driving member 24 disposed at the upstream side in the restoring
direction of the documents in relation to the first restoring means 23 so
as to be free to approach to or depart from the first restoring means 23,
and a second restoring means 25 disposed at the vertical lower side of the
storing means 21 and at the downstream side in the restoring direction of
the documents in relation to the first restoring means 23.
The outer wall of storing means 21 includes the side surfaces 26a, 26b, and
bottom surfaces 27, 28 which are support surfaces for supporting the
documents D being stored in the stack. On one bottom surface 27, matching
plates 29a, 29b are disposed in order to match the stacked documents D in
the widthwise direction (the vertical direction to the sheet of paper of
FIG. 4). The matching plates 29a, 29b are set for example, on the basis of
the side index indicated in the other bottom surface 28, according to the
size of the documents D to be stored, and the documents D are stored
therein. On the other bottom surface 28, there is a side aligning piece
30, and the flat part of the side aligning piece 30 extending vertically
to the bottom surface 28 is fixed so as to abut against the entire surface
of the downstream end in the restoring direction of the documents D to be
stored in the stack. Such fixing is achieved by passing a bolt projecting
from the bottom of the side aligning piece 30 through a penetration hole
31 formed in the bottom surface 28, and fastening it with a nut at the
back side of the bottom surface 28.
Hereinafter, in the description of the invention, the documents stacked in
the storing means 21 are represented by the reference code D, and the
document being supplied and conveyed from the storing means 21 is
indicated by Di.
The paper feeding means 22 comprises, for example as shown in FIG. 4, an
exhaust duct 32 and a suction conveying means 33. The suction conveying
means 33 is disposed at the upper side in the stacking direction (the
vertical direction in FIG. 4) in relation to the stacked documents D, and
is composed of an endless belt 35 which is stretched between two rollers
34a, 34b having innumerable openings, and an intake means including an
intake duct 36 formed at the inner side of the endless belt 35. By this
suction conveying means 33, the uppermost document in the stacking
direction of the stacked documents D is sucked and conveyed as described
later, and the conveyance through conveying roller 37 up to a conveying
route stated below is started. Incidentally, the paper feeding means 22
uses the suction conveying means in FIG. 2, but the composition of the
paper feeding means is not limited in the invention, and the paper feeding
means may be composed of, for example, a paper feed roller abutting
against the uppermost position of the stacked documents D, and a pair of
handling rollers mutually rotating in the same direction and having outer
circumferences differing in the frictional force.
The first restoring means 23 is composed of, for example, a single roller
38. This roller 38 is disposed near the upstream side end portion in the
restoring direction of the storing means 21, and near the lower end
portion in the stacking direction of the storing means 21, that is, at the
right side lower end portion of the storing means 21 in FIG. 4.
In the driving member 24, lever pieces 39a, 39b having identical shape are
respectively disposed outside of the side surfaces 26a, 26b forming the
side parts of the storing means 21. Fulcrums 40a, 40b formed at positions
deviated from the center of the lever pieces are respectively pinned to
the side surfaces 26a, 26b, and the lever pieces 39a, 39b are rotatably
provided. In the lever piece 39 a shaft part 41 is pivoted at one end at
the major axis side from the fulcrum 40. In other words, by the shaft part
41 penetrating through the openings 42a, 42b respectively formed in the
side surfaces 26a, 26b, the lever pieces 39a, 39b are coupled together.
Besides, in one lever piece 39a, the other end portion at the minor axis
side from the fulcrum 40a is coupled with a moving piece 43 of an adjacent
solenoid SOL1, and a spring 45 is stretched between the same other end
portion and a fixing piece 44 fixed at an adjoining position.
At the shaft part 41, a plate part 46 is disposed so as to be rotatable
about the shaft part 41. In the plate part 46, the side end portion remote
from the shaft part 41, that is, the end portion opposite the storing
means 21 is formed so as to be parallel to the rotary axis of the roller
38 which is the first restoring means 23. This end portion is freely
slidable, by driving of the lever piece as stated below, on the flat plane
of the guide plate 47 for guiding the document to be restored into the
roller 38, and when at least the plate part 46 approaches the roller 38
most closely, one surface of the plate part 46 (the lower side in FIG. 4)
abuts against the outer circumference of the roller 38.
Moreover, above the guide plate 47 for guiding the document Di, a photo
detector S1 of, for example, a reflective type is disposed. The detection
signal of the photo detector S1 judges whether or not the document Di is
conveyed into the guide plate 47 through a conveying roller 48, and serves
as a control signal for controlling the driving of the driving member 24.
On the other hand, in the second restoring means 25, on the rotary shafts
49a, 49b on which small rollers 50a, 50b are formed, there are a pair of
cam-shaped rollers 51a, 51b, which are plural this embodiment),
respectively formed in semicircular shapes, that is, in arc forms having a
uniform radius in the predetermined circumferential range about the rotary
axial line, and endless belts 52 are applied individually on the mutually
confronting cam-shaped rollers 51a, 51b. These cam-shaped rollers 51a, 51b
are rotating pieces, and the endless belt 52 is stretched so as to face
the deformed outer circumferential surfaces of the cam-shaped rollers 51a,
51b mutually in identical direction and to rotate as shown in FIG. 4. In
the bottom surface 27 of the storing means 21, openings 53 as the holes
for projection are formed as many as the number of endless belts 52, and
the cam-shaped rollers 51 and endless belts 52 are arranged so that the
outer circumference of the belt is opposite to the lower side of the
document D at the lowermost position in the stacking direction of the
documents D stored in stack, through these hole openings 53. A belt 54 is
also applied between the smaller rollers 50a, 50b, and by rotating these
small rollers 50a, 50b, the cam-shaped rollers 51a, 51b are rotated, so
that the endless belts 52 convey the document as stated below.
Near the recirculating original feeding means 20, a roller driving motor M1
is installed, and an endless belt 56 is stretched over the rotary shaft of
the motor M1, the rotary shaft of the roller 38, and the one rotary shaft
49a of the second restoring means 25. Another endless belt 57 is stretched
over the rotary shaft of the roller 38, the one rotary shaft 37a of the
conveying roller 37 for starting conveyance of the document into the
conveying route, and the one rotary shaft 48a of the conveying roller 48
for guiding the document to the guide plate 47. Therefore, by rotating the
roller driving motor M1 in the direction of arrow 58, the rollers on which
the belts are applied and the driven rollers are revolved in the direction
of the arrow indicated closely in FIG. 2. Meanwhile, in the second
restoring means 25, a rotating force is always transmitted to the rotary
shaft 49a by the motor M1, but a clutch CLT1 and a solenoid SOL2 are
disposed as described below between the rotary shaft 49a and the rotary
shaft of the small roller 50a, and the clutch CLT1 is coupled only for a
predetermined period to excite the solenoid SOL2, so that the cam-shaped
roller 51a is revolved as stated below.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the paper feeding operation of the
documents D in the recirculating original feeding means 20, FIG. 6 is a
sectional view seen from sectional line IV--IV in FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a
sectional view showing the restoring operation of the documents D in the
recirculating original feeding means 20, and FIG. 8 is a sectional view
seen from sectional line VI--VI in FIG. 7. Meanwhile, the same or
corresponding parts as those in FIG. 4 are indicated by the same reference
numbers. Referring then to FIG. 5 to FIG. 8, the operation of paper
feeding and restoring in the recirculating original feeding means 20 in
FIG. 3 is explained below.
When the position of the side aligning piece 30 of the storing means 21 is
set, the documents D are mounted and the starting operation is effected,
the paper feeding operation is started as shown in FIG. 5. Air is blown
from the exhaust duct 32 to the right side of the documents D mounted in
FIG. 5, that is, at the entire surface of the downstream side end portion
in the paper feeding direction, and the downstream side end portion in the
paper feeding direction of the documents D is separated by the air layer.
At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, a fan 60 installed in the intake duct 36
in the paper feeding means 33 is driven, and by further demagnetizing a
solenoid SOL3, stopped, by a spring force of a spring 62, a intake valve
61 is kept open, so that the air above the storing means is sucked in
through the openings in the intake duct 36 and the openings 35a in the
endless belt 35. Therefore, the document D0 at the uppermost position in
the stacking direction of the stacked documents is pushed upward by the
draft from the exhaust duct 32, and is sucked to the suction belt 35 by
the suction action, and conveyance toward the conveying route which is not
shown is started.
When the downstream end in the paper feeding direction of the sucked and
conveyed document D0 reaches the conveying roller 37 at the start opening
of the conveying route, the fan 60 stops, the solenoid SOL3 is excited,
and the intake valve 61 overcomes the spring force and is closed.
Furthermore, the belt 35 is stopped, and the conveyed document D0 receives
the conveying force only by the conveying roller 37, and the paper feed
into the conveying route is started. After feeding of the document, when
reaching a predetermined timing, the fan 60, the solenoid SOL3 and the
belt 35 are put into operation again to feed the succeeding document.
Meanwhile, it is not necessary to stop the draft from the exhaust duct 32
at the predetermined timing, but it may be always blowing. For the sake of
convenience, in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, it is shown that the draft is stopped
at the time of restoring.
At the time of feeding of the documents D, only the paper feeding means
functions, and the first restoring means 23, the second restoring means
25, and the driving member 24 do not contribute to the operation. That is,
the solenoid SOL1 of the driving member 24 is demagnetized, and the lever
piece 39a is disposed at the position shown in FIG. 5 by the spring force
of the spring 45, and the plate part 46 is at a position remote from the
first restoring means 23. Besides, in the second restoring means 25, the
solenoid SOL2 is demagnetized, and the clutch CLT1 is not coupled, and the
cam-shaped roller 51 is as shown in FIG. 5, and the outer circumferences
200a, 200b as the second portion at the shorter side from the rotary shaft
are opposite the bottom surface side of the storing means, while the belt
outer side of the belt 52 is positioned at the lower side of the bottom
part 27. Therefore, the outer circumference of the belt 52 is at a remote
position, not contacting with the lower side surface of the lowermost
position in the stacking direction of the stacked documents D.
Successively, the document restoring operation is explained below. When the
document Di is conveyed completely on exposure region and is sent along
the guide plate 47, the photo detector S1 disposed on the guide plate 47
detects that the document Di is conveyed onto the guide plate 47. When the
downstream end in the restoring direction of the document Di is detected,
the solenoid SOL1 of the driving member 24 is excited, and the moving
piece 43 is attracted into the solenoid SOL1. Therefore, the lever piece
39 of the driving member 24 rotates about the fulcrum 40 from the state
shown in FIG. 5 to the state shown in FIG. 7, and the end portion of the
plate part 46 opposite the storing means moves along the top surface of
the guide plate 47, and is positioned, as shown in FIG. 7, at the upper
side in the stacking direction on the outer circumference of the roller
38. Therefore, at the above disposed position, the plate part 46 is
securely inserted between the lowermost position in the stacking direction
of the documents D stacked in the storing means 21 and the roller 38,
along the whole range of the upstream side end portion in the restoring
direction of the documents D.
In other words, the plate part 46 intervenes between the already stored
documents D and the roller 38. Therefore, the conveyed document Di does
not collide against the upstream side end portion in the restoring
direction of the documents D already stored in stack, and repelling and
mixing as shown in FIG. 2 (1), (2) may not occur. Hence, the conveyed
document Di is securely inserted into the lowermost position in the
stacking direction of the documents D already stored in stack.
The document Di to be inserted into the lowermost position in the stacking
direction is pinched between the roller 38 and the plate part 46.
Therefore, the rotating force of the roller 38 is transmitted to the
document Di, thereby causing the document Di to be securely conveyed in
the lowermost position in the stacking direction of the documents stored
in the storing means 21.
When the upstream end in the restoring direction of the document Di to be
restored is detected by the photo detector S1, the solenoid SOL1 of the
driving member 24 is switched over to the demagnetized state. Therefore,
the lever piece 39 receives the spring force and rotates, and the driving
member 24 returns from the position shown in FIG. 7 to the position shown
in FIG. 5. Afterwards, driving of the second restoring means 25 is
started.
That is, the solenoid SOL2 is excited, and the clutch CLT1 is coupled,
thereby causing the rotary shaft of the small roller 50a and the rotary
shaft 49a to be coupled, and causing the rotation of the cam-shaped roller
51 to be started together with the small roller 50a. As the cam-shaped
roller 51 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 7, the outer
circumferences 201a, 201b as the first portion of the longer side of the
cam-shaped rollers 51a, 51b are disposed upward. Therefore, when stopping,
as shown in FIG. 5, the belt outer circumference of the endless belt 52 is
positioned at the lower side of the bottom surface 27 of the storing means
21, but along with the rotation of the cam-shaped roller 51, the belt
outer circumference of the belt 52 moves to the upper side of the bottom
surface 27, and contacts with the bottom side surface of the document Di
conveyed along the lowermost position in the stacking direction of the
stacked documents D.
As the cam-shaped roller 51 further rotates, the belt outer surface of the
belt 52 moves in the direction of arrow 63, and the contacting document Di
is conveyed into the restoring direction. At this time, since the belt
outer surface conveys the document Di in action of like lifting, the
conveying force is securely transmitted to the document Di, so that the
document Di may be conveyed securely.
A restoring distance by one revolution of the cam-shaped roller 51 may be
predetermined by the length corresponding to the arc of the cam-shaped
roller 51. For example, this length is selected at an integer fraction of
the total restoring distance. Therefore, with respect to the document Di
conveyed by the roller 38, by rotating the cam-shaped roller 51 of the
second restoring means 25 by one to several revolutions, the document Di
may be securely conveyed to a desired position, that is, until the
downstream end in the restoring direction of the document Di reaches the
side aligning piece 30. Accordingly, restoring will not stop on the way
due to lack of the conveying force. Incidentally, when restoring of the
document Di is over, the clutch CLT1 is cut off, and the second restoring
means 25 is set in waiting state.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a schematic structure around the
solenoid SOL2 of the second restoring means 25. On the rotary shaft of the
small roller 50a on which the belt 54 is applied, the cam-shaped roller
51a on which the belt 52 is applied is disposed. This rotary shaft is
provided on the same axial line as the rotary shaft 49a of a gear 64, and
is coupled and cut off by the clutch CLT1 which is not shown. This gear 64
and the roller driving motor M1 are coupled by means of belt 56.
On the rotary shaft 49a, there is a cam 65 of a nearly disc shape. The
shape of the cam 65 is formed so that the diameter from the rotary shaft
decrease gradually along the side surface, and one point on the side
surface forms a stepped part for linking the maximum diameter and minimum
diameter. Near the cam 65, there is a moving piece 66 of the solenoid
SOL2, and a generally L-shaped protrusion 66a is formed at the leading end
of the moving piece 66 and is designed to stop the stepped part.
Therefore, while the solenoid SOL2 is demagnetized, as the gear 64 rotates
by driving the motor M1, the stepped part 65a of the cam 65 rotating in
the direction of arrow 67 is stopped by the protrusion 66a of the moving
piece 66, so that the rotation of the cam-shaped roller 51a is always
stopped. On the other hand, when the clutch CLT1 which is not shown is
coupled with and the solenoid SOL2 is excited, the protrusion 66a of the
moving piece 66 is departed from the stepped part 65a of the cam 65, and
the cam-shaped roller 51a rotates one revolution and is stopped again.
Therefore, when the solenoid SOL2 is continuously excited, the cam-shaped
roller 51a rotates several revolutions. In this structure, for example,
driving of the second restoring means 25 is realized. This structure,
however, is not limitative.
In this way, by driving of the second restoring means 25, since the belt
outer circumference intermittently contacts with and departs from the
surface of the document Di in the process of conveyance, the chance of the
belt outer circumference abutting against the document Di may be limited,
and extreme soiling of the documents experienced in the prior art may be
lessened.
Therefore, according to the embodiment, by installing the driving member,
repelling and mixing or other problems causing paper jamming can be
avoided, and the document can be securely restored by the first restoring
means, and further by using the second restoring means, the document can
be conveyed to the final reaching position without contamination.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a simplified structure of a
recirculating original feeding means 70 in a second embodiment, FIG. 11 is
a sectional view showing the restoring action of the documents D in the
recirculating original feeding means 70, and FIG. 12 is a sectional view
seen from sectional line X--X in FIG. 11. The same or corresponding parts
as those shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 6 are indicated by the same reference
numbers.
The difference between the recirculating original feeding means 70 and the
foregoing recirculating original feeding means 20 lies in the plate part
46 of the driving member 24. In the plate part 46 of the driving member 24
of the recirculating original feeding means 70, there are a plurality of
(two in this embodiment) defining members 71 projecting almost vertically
from the plate part 46. The defining members 71a, 71b are formed, in this
embodiment, by cutting out three out of four sides to compose the square,
and bending the other side along the shaft to project from the plane of
the plate part 46, on the plane of the plate part 46, so that the
projecting plane may be opposite to the entire surface of the upstream
side end portion in the restoring direction of the stored documents D. The
size may be, for example, about 1 cm square, and it is disposed near the
both side end portions of the plate part 46. When selected at the above
position, blowing of the draft from the exhaust duct 32 to the document is
not impeded. The material may be other than the plate material (stainless
steel, resin, etc.).
By forming such defining members, when the driving means 24 is driven at
the time of restoration of the document Di as shown in FIG. 11, the
upstream side end portion in the restoring direction of the documents D
already stored in the stack may be pressed by the defining members.
Therefore, the upstream side end portions in the restoring direction of
the documents D can be uniformly refined and aligned at every restoring
action of the documents D. By this defining, the draft from the exhaust
duct 32 at the time of paper feeding is always blown uniformly to the
entire surface of the upstream side end portion in the restoring direction
of the documents D, so that each document can be securely separated by the
air layer. Therefore, drooping of the uppermost document in the stacking
direction so as not to be fed as shown in FIG. 2 (3), or oblique feeding
can be securely prevented.
In order to obtain the effect by the defining members 71, it is not
necessarily required to compose the second restoring means 25 in the
structure as disclosed in the embodiment.
Besides, accurate feeding may be advantageously realized by other paper
feeding means without including the suction conveying means as shown in
FIG. 9.
Thus, according to the second embodiment, the same effects as in the
foregoing embodiment may be obtained, and moreover by installing the
defining members in the driving members, the upstream side end portion in
the restoring direction of the documents D already stored in stack can be
defined at every driving of the driving member, so that the paper feed can
be accurate.
FIG. 13 is a sectional view showing a simplified structure of the RADF 80
comprising the recirculating original feeding means 70, and FIG. 14 is a
sectional view showing a simplified structure of an electrostatic copying
apparatus having the RADF 80. Referring to FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, the
structure of the electrostatic copying apparatus 81 having the
recirculating original feeding means 70 of the invention is described
below.
Above a main body 82 of the electrostatic copying apparatus 81, there is
the RADF 80 for feeding the sheet documents D one by one to be read and
exposed to a first exposure region 83 and a second exposure region 84
formed inside the upper part of the main body 82, and a pressure plate 85
for protecting the original images of bulky documents such as book from
external light.
On the upper surface of the main body 82, a first transparent plate 86, a
second transparent plate 87, and a third transparent plate 88 are
disposed. The first transparent plate 86 is disposed in the lower part of
a first support tube 89 in a right cylindrical form in the RADF 80, for
the purpose of the first exposure region 83 for reading one surface of the
documents D conveyed one by one. The second transparent plate 87 is
disposed in the lower part of a second support tube 90 in a right
cylindrical form in the RADF 80, for the purpose of the second exposure
region 84 for reading the other surface of the documents D conveyed one by
one. Furthermore, the third transparent plate 88 is disposed in the lower
part of the pressure plate 85, for the purpose of a third region 91 for
reading the copying surface of the stacked documents.
To copy the sheet document D, it is stacked and stored in the storing means
21 in the recirculating original feeding means 70 in the RADF 80 installed
on the main body 82. The documents D stacked and stored in the storing
means 21 are fed one by one from the uppermost one by the paper feeding
means 22. The supplied document Di is conveyed into a conveying route 98
by means of the conveying roller 37 and plural rollers driven by a motor
M2.
Near the first support tube 89 at the outlet of the conveying route 98, a
pair of resist rollers 103 are disposed. A operating force transmitting
means is coupled to the resist rollers 103 through a clutch CLT2 on the
drive shaft which is not shown and rotation and stopping of the resist
rollers 103 are controlled by the on/off control of the clutch CLT2. By
the driving control of the resist rollers 103, the timing of conveyance of
the documents D to the first support tube 89 is controlled. This control
of conveying timing of the documents D is synchronized with the control of
the timing of conveying a copying paper P onto a photosensitive drum 104
in the main body 82. Therefore, as stated below, the read surface of the
document D is exposed by the photosensitive drum 104, and a toner image
made sensible corresponding to the surface is transferred onto the copying
paper P by controlling the timing appropriately.
Suction ports are disposed on the first support tube 89, for example, on
its outer circumference, and a suction means which is not shown is
connected inside the first support tube 89. By the function of this
suction means, the conveyed document Di is attracted tightly. The first
support tube 89 is driven by a motor M3 in the direction of arrow 105, and
the document Di attracted to the first support tube 89 passes through
above the first transparent plate 86. IN order to read one surface of the
passing document Di, light is emitted to one surface of the document Di
(to the upper surface of the document D stacked up in the storing means 21
in FIG. 13) faced to the first transparent plate 86 from the exposure lamp
108 (see FIG. 14), so that reading and exposure action may be effected.
The document Di of which one side has been read above the first transparent
plate 86 passes through a direction converting pawl 110 which is changed
over by a solenoid SOL4, and is conveyed into a document inverting means
113. At the document inverting means 113, the conveying direction of the
conveyed document Di is inverted by a direction converting pawl 116
changed over by a solenoid SOL5 and conveying rollers which are rotated
normally and reversely by the driving of a motor M4, and afterwards the
document Di is conveyed into the second support tube 90 through a pair of
resist rollers 122 which is controlled by the similar means as in the
foregoing resist rollers 103.
The structure of the second support tube 90 is the same as that of the
first support tube 89, and it attracts the conveyed document Di by the
function of the suction means as stated above. The second support tube 90
is driven in the direction of arrow 123 by a motor M5, and the document Di
attracted on the second support tube 90 passes through above the second
transparent plate 87. Since the displaying side of the document has been
inverted after passing through the document inverting means 113, the
surface of the document Di faced to the second transparent plate 87 is the
other surface that has not been read yet (the lower side of the document D
stacked up in the storing means 21 in FIG. 13). To read this other
surface, an optical system 126 including the exposure lamp 108 (see FIG.
14) is moved from the first exposure region 83 to the second exposure
region 84. From the exposure lamp 108, light is emitted to the other
surface of the document Di faced to the second transparent plate 87, so
that reading and exposure action is effected.
The document Di of which other surface has been read above the second
transparent plate 87 passes through a direction converting pawl 128 which
is changed over by a solenoid SOL6, and is conveyed into a conveying route
130, and is sent further into the recirculating original feeding means 70
by a pair of conveying rollers 131.
When the photo detector S1 is changed over to an ON state by the downstream
end in the conveying direction of the document Di being conveyed into the
guide plate 47 through the conveying route 130, as mentioned above, the
solenoid SOL1 is excited, and the plate part 46 of the driving member 24
is disposed on the outer circumference of the storing means side of the
roller 38 which is the first restoring means 23. Therefore, the document
Di is securely inserted into the lowermost position in the stacking
direction of the already stored document D, and is conveyed. When the
upstream end in the conveying direction of the document Di being conveyed
passes through the photo detector S1 and the photo detector S1 is changed
to an OFF state, the solenoid SOL1 is demagnetized, and the plate part 46
is departed from the storing means side of the roller 38 to be set in
waiting state. In succession, as mentioned above, the second sorting means
25 is driven, and the document Di is securely conveyed until the
downstream end in the conveying direction of the document Di reaches the
side aligning piece 30, and restoring is over. After restoring, the second
restoring means is set in waiting state.
Thereafter, the sheets are sequentially supplied from the uppermost
position in the stacking direction of the documents D stacked in the
storing means 21 into the document conveying route, and after being
conveyed into the exposure region, they are sequentially restored in the
lowermost position in the stacking direction of the documents D in the
storing means 21.
In this document conveying route, both sides of the document Di pass facing
to the exposure regions, and are read and exposed. The time of reading and
exposing in the exposure regions 83, 84, 91, the optical system 126 is
moved by a moving means which is not shown, and a moving element
supporting the exposure lamp 108 is brought also into the exposure regions
83, 84, 91, respectively. In the exposure regions 83, 84, 91, when the
light of the exposure lamp 108 is emitted to the surface of the document
to be read, the reflected light from the document surface is focused on a
exposure region 141 on the photosensitive drum 104 through optical path
140 by means of the optical system 106. The optical system 126 comprises
the exposure lamp 108, reflector mirrors 142, 143, 144, a zoom lens 145
and a reflector mirror 146.
The photosensitive drum 104 driven in the direction of arrow 147 is first
charged by a main corona discharger for charging 148. Next, as mentioned
above, the image corresponding to the surface of the document read in the
exposure regions 83, 84, 91 is focused on the exposure region 141, and an
electrostatic image corresponding to the surface of the document is
formed. The formed electrostatic image is made sensible into a toner image
by a developing device 149. This toner image is transferred onto the
copying paper P supplied from a cassette and controlled in the conveying
timing by a pair of resist rollers 160, by means of a corona discharger
for transfer 153. The rotation of the resist rollers 160 is controlled
together with the resist rollers 103 in the RADF 80 and the resist rollers
122.
The copying paper P after transfer is conveyed into a fixing device 162 by
a conveying means 161, and is fixed. In the case of simplex copy on the
copying paper P, the fixed copying paper P is discharged into a discharge
tray 164. In the case of duplex copy on the copying paper P, in order to
copy on the other uncopied surface, the copying paper P is not discharged
into the discharge tray 164, but is discharged into an intermediate tray
175 through a copying paper inverting means 165. The copying paper P
stored in the intermediate tray 175 is supplied again, and is conveyed
onto the photosensitive drum 104 by the resist rollers 160, and the other
uncopied surface is copied. The copying paper P after duplex copy in this
action is finally discharged into the discharge tray 164.
FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing an electrical structure of the
electrostatic copying apparatus 81. As mentioned above, the motors such as
motors M1, M2, M3 for rotating the rollers and support tubes are connected
to a motor driving circuit 180. The clutches for controlling the
synchronism of conveyance between the documents D conveyed in the RADF 80
and the copying paper P conveyed in the main body 82 are connected to a
clutch driving circuit 181. The solenoids such as SOL1 and SOL2 for
actuating the direction converting pawls in the conveying route and the
driving member are connected to a solenoid driving circuit 182. These
driving circuits 180 to 182 are connected to an interface circuit 188
together with a DC power supply 183, detecting elements such as the photo
detector S1 for detecting the conveying state of the documents D and
copying paper P, an optical system driving circuit 184 for moving the
optical system 126, keys 186 on an operation panel 185 installed on the
main body 82, and a display driving circuit 187 for driving a display
device on the operation panel 185.
The interface circuit 188 is connected with a central processing unit (CPU)
189 composed of microcomputer and others, and the detection signals from
the detecting elements are sent out into the CPU 189, and the driving
circuits 180, 181, 182, 184, 187 are controlled depending on the control
signals from the CPU 189. The CPU 189 is connected to a read only memory
(ROM) 190 and a random access memory (RAM) 181, and according to the
control program preliminarily stored in the ROM 190, the CUP 189 controls
the copying operation. The RAM 191 is used as the calculation region of
the counter and timer necessary, for example, for control of copying
operation.
Moreover, the CUP 189 moves the optical system 126 by way of the interface
circuit 188 and the optical system driving circuit 184, and controls
lighting/extinguishing of the exposure lamp 108 in the exposure regions
83, 84, 91. Still more, a signal from the key k86 on the operation panel
185 is inputted in the CPU 189 through the interface circuit 188, and the
process of copying operation or the like is displayed on the display
device 192 on the operation panel 186 through the display driving circuit
187. The interface circuit 188 is connected with select switches SSW1 to
SSW4 for selecting the copying mode in the RADF function. The selectable
methods of copying are, for example, simplex copy from simplex document,
duplex copy from simplex documents, simplex copies from duplex document,
and duplex copy from duplex document.
According to the embodiment herein, by installing the driving member, paper
jamming phenomena such as repelling and mixing of documents can be
avoided, and the conveying force of the first restoring means can be
securely transmitted to the document and the document can be restored into
the storing means without fail. Besides, by installing the second
restoring means for intermittently contacting to or departing from the
restored document, the document can be securely conveyed to the
predetermined final position. Furthermore, because of conveyance by such
intermittent contact, soiling of document can be outstandingly reduced.
Moreover, by installing defining members in the driving member, the
upstream side end portion in the restoring direction of the documents
already stored in the stack can be defined when driving the driving
member, so that the paper can be fed accurately.
The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing
from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present
embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative
and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the
appended claims rather than by the foregoing description and all changes
which come within the meaning and the range of equivalency of the claims
are therefore intended to be embraced therein.
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